Brace yourself…I want to share one of the most frightening episodes of my childhood.
To my preteen mind it was gut wrenching terror….
When I was growing up, I walked out every day to get the mail.
that probably doesn’t seem like a big scary deal.
But, we had a huge front yard, so it was a good little walk.
AND right in the middle of the yard there was a bird house.
When I was about 9 years old, a blue jay with an attitude problem moved into the bird house.
That blue jay hated me.
For some unknown reason that bird had a personal vendetta against me.
When I would go out to get the mail, it would dive bomb me.
I would just be walking through the yard and here it would come.
It was viciously flying towards my head.
I had a wild imagination and I had seen the Hitchcock movie, “The Birds”.
I was pretty sure that this bird wanted to eat parts of my face, or at the very least, nest in my hair. (This was when, I DID have hair)
I would frantically run from the blue jay assassin while screaming like a girl.
I might have wet myself once.
It wasn’t my finest moment.
Sometimes it takes real courage just to go outside!
I was afraid to go into my front yard.
I was bullied by a bird.
My Dad gave me one of his super inspiring pep talks, “WHAT? Are you kidding me? don’t be a baby, it’s just a little bird!”
My much more supportive Mom gave me a hug and a fly squatter.
I took a deep breath and opened the front door.
I looked my fear in the face and it was flapping.
And it was smaller than me.
I mustered all of my shaky strength and I frantically waved the fly swatter and made some strange guttural noises. This didn’t really scare the bird as much as confuse it.
Sometimes that’s a pretty good strategy: live in a way that confuses the things that scare you.
I also found a different route to the mailbox. I walked out of my way to avoid the bully bird.
The best strategy was to take a friend…my dog. My body guard was a beagle.
Eventually seasons changed and the bird went away.
Seasons change and if you don’t feed the fear it goes away or dies.
Sometimes it takes real courage just to go outside!
Maybe your bully isn’t a bird, it’s something else.
You can get through the yard!
You can do it!
We get scared of things that others laugh at.
It doesn’t seem like a scary thing to other people.
It doesn’t make our fear any less real.
We only think Fear is irrational when it’s someone else’s.
The yard can be a scary place.
You got to stare down your flapping fear.
you might find that it’s smaller than you.
go outside…
You can do it.
Maybe you need to step out into the front yard.
Maybe you need to find a different route.
Maybe you need a fly squatter or to shout.
Realize that seasons change, don’t feed your fear and it probably won’t stick around.
The best strategy is always to take a friend with you.
The bigger the better!
Here’s a promise from the biggest friend of all…
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Sometimes it takes real courage just to go outside!
Find that courage in the fact that you aren’t going alone.
carbonated joy 